To help us meet all your needs, please follow these guidelines:

It is your responsibility to arrange in advance for a responsible adult to drive you home and remain with you for 24 hours after your surgery. You cannot drive yourself or be left alone. Please bathe or shower prior to your surgery. Remove all makeup. Do not use lotions or oils after bathing. Remove all jewelry. Wear loose, comfortable clothing such as sweat suits and easy-to-button shirts or blouses that are big enough to accommodate a large bandage after surgery. Wear comfortable shoes; no high heels, please.  Leave all valuables, including jewelry and cash, at home. We cannot be responsible for damage or lost property. You will be required to have your ID with you. Be prepared to sign a form giving your consent for the operation. If the patient is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must accompany the patient and sign the consent form. The parent or guardian is required to stay at the surgery center until the patient is discharged. Bring all insurance cards with you to the center. See the section on insurance and billing. Please arrive one hour before your scheduled procedure or earlier if instructed by our staff. A nurse will provide you with a patient gown, socks and a bag to store your clothing in while you are in the preoperative area. We will also check your temperature, blood pressure and pulse and ask you to empty your bladder before surgery. Santa Rosa Surgery Center does not honor any advance directive. We provide the patient with information on our policy should a patient so inquire. Patients are advised of our policy on the pre-op phone call or prior to surgery.

Jewelry/Body Piercing Policy: In compliance with Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) standards, patients are asked to remove any jewelry/body piercing prior to arrival at the surgery center. If the patient refuses to remove the jewelry/body piercing, the patient or responsible party must sign a release/waiver form before any medical procedure will be performed.

Following are some of the risks if jewelry/body piercings are not removed prior to surgery:

• Potential infection from micro organisms harbored in the crevices of the jewelry
• Potential burn sustained by the patient if an electrosurgical unit is used during the procedure
• Potential injury sustained by the patient and/or medical staff if the patient lies on the jewelry or if the jewelry becomes entangled in the sheets and tubing or becomes dislodged
• Potential injury to the patient and/or medical staff if the jewelry has sharp edges
• Potential loss of jewelry/body piercing

If a patient arrives at the center with jewelry/body piercing and will not remove it, the surgeon or anesthesiologist may refuse to perform the procedure due to the associated risks.

Additional Information

• Anesthesia  
• Pain Management  
• Operating Room  
• Recovery Room  
• Wound Care
• Other Resources